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The Great Grift: How billions in U.S. COVID-19 relief aid was stolen or wasted

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

By RICHARD LARDNER, JENNIFER McDERMOTT and AARON KESSLER | Associated PressWASHINGTON  — Much of the theft was brazen, even simple.Fraudsters used the Social Security numbers of dead people and federal prisoners to get unemployment checks. Cheaters collected those benefits in multiple states. And federal loan applicants weren’t cross-checked against a Treasury Department database that would have raised red flags about sketchy borrowers.Criminals and gangs grabbed the money. But so did a U.S. soldier in Georgia, the pastors of a defunct church in Texas, a former state lawmaker in Missouri and a roofing contractor in Montana.All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history, with thieves plundering billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid intended to combat the worst pandemic in a century and to stabilize an economy in free fall.An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was w...

Animal activists ‘rescue’ 4 mice and a fish from San Francisco pet store

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

Activist Celeste Esser carries “rescued” mice outside of San Francisco Petco on Saturday, June 10, 2023. (Direct Action Everywhere via Bay City News) Activists taking part in an Animal Liberation March through San Francisco said they “rescued” four mice and one betta fish from a pet store Saturday.The march from Dolores Park to City Hall, organized by Direct Action Everywhere, passed a Petco store on 16th Street in Potrero Center, where activists entered and carried out the mice and fish, spokeswoman Alison Morikawa Barnard said.“They will be taken to receive veterinary care and welcomed into loving homes,” Barnard said in an interview.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Overpass for wildlife — first in Northern California — proposed for Highway 101 Crime and Public Safety | Volunteers rush to save animals after Ukraine dam collapse Crime and Public Safety | California State Parks W...

Pedestrian dies in East San Jose crash, traffic delayed

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

(KRON) -- A collision between a vehicle and pedestrian left one person dead in East San Jose on Monday morning, according to the San Jose Police Department. 1 dead, 6 injured in shooting at Antioch birthday party Police units are currently on the scene of the crash near McKee Road and Jackson Avenue. The pedestrian was identified as a man who suffered life-threatening injuries. He was declared dead at the scene. KRON On is streaming now.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Westbound traffic on McKee Road between Capitol and Jackson avenues will be shut down as officers investigate the collision. Drivers are asked to take alternate routes if possible.

Missing at-risk 14-year-old girl has been located

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

(BCN) -- Redwood City Police say a missing at-risk teen was located after going missing in Redwood City.She was described by police as a Hispanic female juvenile. A picture circulated by police shows her with brown hair and brown eyes.Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Lea Salonga reflects on Jasmine, Mulan ahead of ‘Broadway in the Park’ at Wolf Trap

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

Hear our full chat on my podcast “Beyond the Fame with Jason Fraley.” toggle audio on and off change volume download audio WTOP's Jason Fraley previews Lea Salonga at Wolf Trap's 'Broadway in the Park' (Part 1) $(function () { $('.wtop-audio-container .fa-play').on('click', function(){ var audio_filename = $('div.wtop-audio-file').data("mp3-url"); ga('send', 'event', 'Audio', 'play', audio_filename); }); }); Wolf Trap is hosting its third annual “Broadway in the Park” concert this Friday, June 16, at 8 p.m. in Virginia.Lea Salonga, the singing voice of Jasmine in “Aladdin” and Mulan in “Mulan,&...

Stock market today: Wall Street drifts higher ahead of Fed, inflation data

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting higher on Wall Street Monday ahead of a big week for central banks and interest rates around the world.The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher in afternoon trading, coming off its fourth straight winning week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 61 points, or 0.2%, at 33,938, as of 12:27 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher.The S&P 500 had slightly more stocks gaining ground than slipping. Cruise operator Carnival rode a 14.7% upswell as analysts upgraded its stock on signs demand remains steady for the industry and that pricing is holding up. Nasdaq, the exchange company that’s pushing more into technology, fell 13.1% after saying it would buy Adenza, a risk management and regulatory software provider, for $10.5 billion in cash and stock.The U.S. stock market is near its highest level since April 2022 on hopes the economy may avoid a recession and the Federal Reserve may soon take it easier on its hikes to interest rates....

Drought monitoring triggered on Potomac River, drinking water backups could be tapped

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

With the ongoing lack of substantial rain, the streamflow of the Potomac River is so low that hourly drought monitoring has been triggered for the area’s prime drinking water supply.Starting Monday morning, the flow of the Potomac River dropped below 2,000 cubic feet per second at Point of Rocks, Maryland. Dropping below that threshold triggers hourly drought monitoring by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.The U.S. Geological Survey gauge is near the bridge connecting Maryland’s Frederick County with Loudoun County, Virginia, and is located upstream from the Potomac River intakes for the Washington Aqueduct, WSSC Water and Fairfax Water.ICPRB, the agency that implements coordination plans between the three local water supplies that rely upon the Potomac River, says there is a higher-than-normal chance that water will have to be released into the Potomac from upstream reservoirs later this year to meet drinking water demands.“Currently, the water flow i...

Colorado gas prices a dollar cheaper than last year this time

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Housing and food prices haven't eased up, but at least summer road trips will be cheaper for Coloradans. The U.S. Energy Information Administration tracks weekly gas prices by state and metro area. The most recent update shows the Centennial State in a much-needed break from gas prices skyrocketing since the beginning of the global COVID pandemic. Inflation cutting into Coloradans’ vacation plans Colorado and the Denver metro area saw the most expensive gasoline prices in history last June. For all grades of gasoline, the average price per gallon in June 2022 was $4.927 - nearly 150% higher than the previous June and nearly a dollar higher than the next-highest record in the summer of 2008. As of the week ending June 5, Denver's average price per gallon of gas was $3.523, down $1.22 per gallon from the same week last year. Denver's price per gallon is slightly higher than the Colorado average price, which was $3.38 in the same week. Gas prices should be a relief ...

Auon'tai Anderson to run for state legislature

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver School Board Vice President Auon'tai Anderson announced that he will be running for state representative and dropping his re-election for the school board. On Monday, Anderson said he is running to represent House District 8 in the Colorado Legislature. Currently, Leslie Herod represents the district, but she is term-limited and cannot run again. Protesters call for resignation of DPS board "As the son of a single mother and grandson of a public school educator, I am intimately familiar with the struggles and triumphs that many in our community face," Anderson said in an emailed release. “Despite the adversities I encountered, including homelessness and navigating a complex system as a child, I remained committed to education, fighting for my community and workers' rights across the state."Anderson said he would focus on affordable housing, living conditions, fair wages for workers and challenging the NRA. Anderson was elected to the DPS Board of Education ...

In Miami, Trump’s ardent backers are a sign of the city’s rightward shift

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:26 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Florida’s shift to the right is perhaps nowhere more notable than in this vibrant swath of the state’s southeast coast where the latest Donald Trump drama is unfolding.Republicans have made steady inroads in this former Democratic stronghold in recent years, culminating in the GOP carrying Miami-Dade County in last year’s midterm elections. The party’s broader future could now hinge on what happens in south Florida -– but for a very different reason.Trump, the former president who is again the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, will make his first appearance in federal court Tuesday in Miami, where he faces 37 felony counts related to charges of illegal stealing of classified information.The charges have propelled Miami into the center of a storyline that, until recently, was largely thought to be unfolding in a grand jury room in Washington. And it has brought to the forefront Trump’s rising popularity among Florida’s La...